The present invention relates to a tool for use in caring for fingernails and particularly to a tool for opening a bottle of nail polish. The tool also can have a nail file surface thereon so that the tool can serve as a nail file.
Fingernail polish is a very popular cosmetic and typically has a laquer base to enable it to be applied easily to the nail and to provide a quick drying and strongly adhesive covering for the nail. Often, during use of a bottle of polish, polish finds it's way between the screw thread neck of the bottle in which it is stored and the bottle cap received thereon, and drys causing the bottle cap to become adhered or frozen to the bottle. Much force is then required to turn the cap to open the bottle. Typically a pliers is then needed to open the bottle.
In view of this problem the bottle cap is typically formed with a conical, serrated, often elongate, outer surface which facilitates gripping of the bottle cap for exerting sufficient torque to open the bottle.
Notwithstanding this special configuration of the bottle cap, users of nail polish still encounter much difficulty in opening a bottle of nail polish. Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a nail polish bottle opener which facilitates opening of a bottle of nail polish.
As will be described in more detail hereinafter, the tool of the present invention is simple in design, is planar and elongate and has an opening therein which is sized to fit over and between the top and bottom of a bottle cap for a bottle of nail polish and which is configured to grippingly engage the bottle cap. Although it does not appear that such a tool has heretofore been proposed for opening a bottle of nail polish, tools having a similar shape have been proposed for turning a specially configured nut or bolt head having splines thereon. In this regard reference is made to the wrenching member disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,354,757.
The tool of the present invention differs from the wrenching member in several respects, namely in the shape and configuration of the opening of the tool and of course in the purpose and use of the tool. Other differences are brought out in the detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the tool set forth below.
According to the invention there is provided a nail polish bottle opener comprising a generally flat, elongate member having a wide end portion at one end, a narrow end portion at the opposite end and a midpoint connecting said end portions, said wide end portion having an opening therein sized to fit over and between the top and bottom of a conically shaped bottle cap for a bottle of nail polish, the periphery of said opening being configured to grippingly engage the bottle cap whereby a user, after inserting a bottle cap in said opening, can grip said tool about said midportion and said narrow end portion and exert a torque about the coaxial axes of said opening and the bottle cap to open the bottle of nail polish.
Preferably one side surface of the opener has a nail file surface in the midportion and narrow end portion thereof so that the tool also functions as a nail file.